


Wanderlust

by noblydonedonnanoble



Series: The Saltwater Room [1]
Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/noblydonedonnanoble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Run away with me."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wanderlust

                "Run away with me."

                Before this declaration, Catherine had been dozing on his shoulder. Now, she has been tragically startled awake, and her minor irritation is apparent in her tone as she says, "You're so very funny, David." Despite this, however, she attempts to lean into him more.

                David squeezes her shoulder gently. "I'm being sincere."

                "Yes dear, of course you are." She chuckles lightly.

                He does not laugh, and Catherine notices. She pulls away enough to look him in the eye. "You're… you're really actually being serious."

                "I am."

                After a short staring contest—both of them waiting for the other to make the first move—Catherine scoots away more. She leans out of David's embrace, and while it could be seen as coincidence, he knows better. "I'm sure I don't need to provide you with a list of all of the reasons why that would be completely mad."

                "Yeah, I think I'm alright without. Though if it helps you to work through it that way, feel free." He tries to put her less on edge by smiling, but it doesn't work.

                "You are talking about packing up and just leaving. Leave our homes, leave our families."

                He considers for milliseconds. "Is there… another type of running away together?"

                "And what about _Doctor Who_?"

                Somehow, this question gives him more pause. "It would be a necessary sacrifice," he replies at last.

                This, for the first time, triggers what can only be considered to be a smile, although Catherine does her best to suppress it. "You'd give up being the Doctor if it meant running off with me?"

                "In an instant." When she doesn't say anything, he continues. "Can't you just imagine it, Catherine? We could change our names. We could start a life together. We could leave today. All it takes is for you to say, 'yes'."

                She shakes her head and looks down at her lap, staring at a miniscule stain three inches above her left knee. "You're mad. What would we do, David? Change our names? People know us. We couldn't last a week without someone recognizing us."

                After a moment's thought, David leans over and grabs a writing pad that sits on the end table beside him. "We'll compose a list. How to run away and not be found."

                In spite of herself, Catherine's interest is piqued. She scoots closer to David to better see what he's writing. "You're actually calling it that?"

                "What else should I call it?" He looks legitimately offended.

                Catherine smiles again, this time not bothering to hide it. "Call it whatever you like. Now, do divulge your master plan."

                "Well, I'm a bit foggy on the specifics, but I was thinking we could become hermits."

                "Hermits," she echoes.

                Something about Catherine's expression indicates that such a suggestion is unacceptable. "I'll put that down as a maybe."

                She raises her eyebrows. "Have you got a plan B?"

                "We could move to the Antarctic and live with penguins."

                "That's pretty similar to the hermit suggestion." She leans her head on David's shoulder to watch him write down this semi-new idea, which makes him grin.

                "Actually, they're very different. Antarctica is cold. Also, there are penguins in the plan. Penguins change everything."

                She ignores this. "Plan C?"

                "Hijack the TARDIS and traverse the universe together."

                Catherine giggles. "You do understand that you're not _actually_ the Doctor, right? Sometimes I worry that you forget."

                He grimaces and crosses 'Doctor Donna: Operation TARDIS' off the list with a sigh. "You make a fair point."

                "Also there's no such thing as a TARDIS, not really."

                "You can't prove that!" He clears his throat and looks away. "Tertiary back-up: we move to the highlands, find a little cottage where no one's ever heard of us."

                Catherine smiles and snuggles up against him once more. "That's the most practical idea you've had so far."

                David buries his face in her hair, gives the crown of her head a kiss. "That's as good as a 'yes'. We might as well start packing now."

                "As long as we're home in time to film tomorrow."

                "Why do you still think I'm playing?"

                "I don't. That's exactly the point. If I thought you were playing, we'd be discussing our future life as penguin tamers in the Antarctic. But one of us needs to acknowledge the impracticality of what you're asking of me."

                "I begrudgingly concede that you're probably right."

                She nods. "I often am."

                They descend into silence, and for once David does not attempt to return to the matter. Regardless of what Catherine tells him, he's certain that deep down, she does think he was teasing her. But he would never joke about that. Not in a million years.


End file.
